President Obama raised $15 million for his reelection bid at actor George Clooney’s Los Angeles home Thursday night.
That amount includes the $40,000 per ticket price and the proceeds from an online auction, where two people were selected to attend the event.
{mosads}DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, who co-hosted the fundraiser, announced the record amount at the event, according to a White House pool report.
Obama thanked him and Clooney for their support.
“We raised a lot of money because everybody loves George. They like me; they love him,” he said.
The fundraiser was filled with famous faces. Spotted in the crowd: Tobey Maguire, Stacy Kiebler, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Salma Hayek, Barbra Streisand, James Brolin and Billy Crystal.
During his remarks, Obama joked about his gray hair, causing Clooney to quip: “Look at me!”
The president also pointed out that Clooney owned a print of Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” poster from the 2008 campaign.
“People don’t realize that the photograph of me is actually me sitting next to George,” he said, noting it was taken when Clooney had come to Washington to speak about Darfur. “We struck up a friendship. And this is the first time that George Clooney has ever been Photoshopped out of a picture.”
He added: “Never happened before, will never happen again.”
Obama also referred to his support of same-sex marriage in his remarks, an announcement he had made the day before.
“Obviously yesterday we made some news. But the truth is it was a logical extension of what America is supposed to be.”
Obama spent nearly four hours at the fundraiser, an usual amount of time.
The event took place in a tent on Clooney’s basketball court at his Tudor-style home, according to the pool report. There were 14 tables that seated 10 people each.
Also attending the fundraiser were the two winners of the Obama campaign’s online sweepstakes: Beth Topinka, from Manalapan, N.J., and Karen Blutcher, from St. Augustine, Fla. Both women brought their husbands.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who is in a tough primary with fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, greeted Obama upon his arrival in Los Angeles and rode with him to Clooney’s home. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also attended.